BY KELSEY PURCELL, FEATURES ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
The Academic Center for Excellence is a place where any business major or a student taking business classes can go to get help with their coursework. Mentors in the center can also offer study tips and give advice on how to get internships and how to be a success in business school.
The academic center opened in October 2021. It was created by business professors who said they wanted students to understand course material. Dr. Benjamin Posmanick, a finance professor, is the director of the center.
The academic center is located in room 107 of the William E. and Ann L. Swan Business Center at St. Bonaventure University.
Midterms are over and finals will be here before students know it. Students taking business classes who may be trying to get their grades up or are confused about some of their class content can try out the Academic Center for Excellence.
Students do not have to make an appointment to meet with a mentor in the center. They can stop by whenever they need help. The academic center is different from the Student Success Center, the center in Plassmann Hall that serves all majors for tutoring and academic support. Students do not have to attend weekly sessions at a specific time through the academic center, unlike tutoring in the success center.
Mentors in the center qualified for the position because they had to include what business classes they have taken and their grades in those courses, along with their GPA and understanding of the course material on the application. Currently, the academic center has six mentors.
Mentors can help with coursework in the core business classes. The core business classes are ACCT 201 and 202, ECO 101 and 102, FIN 301, MGMT 301 and 306, MKT 301 and QMX 210, 211, and 212.
The center is open Monday through Thursday from 6:30-9 p.m. Two mentors work in the center each night it is open. The center offers a drop-in service.
Business professors said they want the center to be a place where mentors can teach other students how to study and actually learn how to understand the course material. Professors said they do not want students to be overly preoccupied with earning a good grade or memorizing content, instead students should actually be learning and applying the material.
The center is flexible because of the drop-in service and lenient hours. Also, there is no professor supervision and students do not have to make an appointment, so it is a relaxed environment. Around midterm and final exam season is when the center has been the busiest, according to some of the mentors.
Anyone taking a business class is welcome to stop by the academic center. The mentors will do their best to help clarify confusion from course material, give advice on how to get an internship and share tips on how to succeed as a student in business school.
